Systems and methods for wireless control of a pump motor

ABSTRACT

A control system for a pump motor includes a first portion disposed outside a housing of the pump motor. The first portion may include a wireless communication interface and a processor. In some embodiments, the processor of the first portion is configured to control the wireless communication interface to receive a user input from a user device, and generate a control signal in response to receiving the user input. The control system also includes a second portion physically separate from the first portion and communicatively coupled to the first portion. The second portion may include a processor configured to receive the control signal from the first portion, and control the pump motor in response to receiving the control signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/153,514, filed Feb. 25, 2021,and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR WIRELESS CONTROL OF A PUMP MOTOR,”the contents and disclosure of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The field of the disclosure relates generally to a fluid moving systemand, more specifically, a pool or spa pump system configured forwireless communication with a user device and including physicallyseparated control boards.

Pool and spa pumps are used to circulate water within a variety of pooltypes, such as swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, fountains, and the like.The circulation of the water disperses chemicals added to the water toprovide for acceptable water conditions. The circulation also permitsthe passage of water through a filter to remove impurities from thewater. Typically, these pumps may operate for a portion of the week,such as on a preselected schedule, or as a single speed motor.

Some pump systems have electronic controllers located adjacent theelectric motors, such as mounted within a wall box. These electroniccontrollers regulate the operation of the pool pump and may beprogrammed to control the on and off times of the electric motor. Theymay also control the speed of the pump if the electric motor has morethan one possible speed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In one aspect, a control system for a pump motor is described. Thecontrol system includes a first portion disposed outside a housing ofthe pump motor. The first portion may include a wireless communicationinterface and a processor. In some embodiments, the processor of thefirst portion is configured to control the wireless communicationinterface to receive a user input from a user device, and generate acontrol signal in response to receiving the user input. The controlsystem also includes a second portion disposed inside the housing of thepump motor and communicatively coupled to the first portion. The secondportion may include a processor configured to receive the control signalfrom the first portion, and control the pump motor in response toreceiving the control signal.

In another aspect, a pump motor is described. The pump motor includes ahousing and a control system for controlling the pump motor. In theexample embodiment, the control system includes a first control boarddisposed outside a housing of the pump motor. The first control boardmay include a wireless communication interface and a processor. In someembodiments, the processor of the first control board is configured tocontrol the wireless communication interface to receive a user inputfrom a user device, and generate a control signal in response toreceiving the user input. The control system also includes a secondcontrol board disposed inside the housing of the pump motor andcommunicatively coupled to the first control board. The second controlboard may include a processor configured to receive the control signalfrom the first control board, and control the pump motor in response toreceiving the control signal.

In yet another aspect, a method for controlling a pump motor isdescribed. The method includes receiving, by a first control board of acontrol system, a wireless communication from a user device. In theexample embodiment, the wireless communication includes a user input,and at least a portion of the first control board is disposed outside ahousing of the pump motor. The method also includes, in at least someembodiments, generating, by the first control board, a control signal inresponse to receiving the user input, and providing, by the firstcontrol board, the control signal to a second control board of thecontrol system. In at least some embodiments, at least a portion of thesecond control board is disposed within the housing of the pump motor.In addition, the method includes receiving, by the second control boardof the control system, the control signal from the first control board,and controlling, by the second control board, the pump motor in responseto receiving the control signal.

In yet another aspect, a control system for controlling a pump motor isprovided. The control system includes a wireless communication interfaceand at least one processor coupled in communication with the wirelesscommunication interface. The control system at least partially disposedwithin a housing of the pump motor. The at least one processor isconfigured to control the wireless communication interface to receive auser input from a user device, generate a control signal in response toreceiving the user input, and control the pump motor in response to thecontrol signal.

In yet another aspect, a pump motor is provided. The pump motor includesa housing and a control system for controlling the pump motor. Thecontrol system includes a wireless communication interface and at leastone processor coupled in communication with the wireless communicationinterface. The control system is at least partially disposed within thehousing. The at least one processor is configured to control thewireless communication interface to receive a user input from a userdevice, generate a control signal in response to receiving the userinput, and control the pump motor in response to the control signal.

In yet another aspect, a method for controlling a pump motor isprovided. The method includes receiving, by a control system at leastpartially disposed within a housing of the pump motor, a wirelesscommunication from a user device, wherein the wireless communicationincludes a user input. The method further includes generating, by thecontrol system, a control signal in response to receiving the userinput. The method further includes controlling, by the control system,the pump motor in response to the control signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a pumpsystem having a control system including a first control board and asecond control board.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an example embodiment of the motor of thepump system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of the motor shownin FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of thefirst control board and the second control board shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of thefirst control board shown in FIGS. 1-4, in which the first control boardis communicatively coupled to a plurality of user devices.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of thefirst control board shown in FIGS. 1-4, in which the first control boardis communicatively coupled to a plurality of user devices via acommunication network.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of an example embodiment of a userdevice, such as a smartphone, which may be communicatively coupled withthe control system shown in FIGS. 1-6

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a processfor controlling the pump motor using the control system shown in FIGS.1-7

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the pump system described herein include a control systemseparated into a first control board (e.g., an “application board”) anda second control board (e.g., a “drive board”). In the exampleembodiment, the first control board is enclosed in a top box, which maybe coupled to an exterior portion of the pump system, such as anexterior of a pump motor. The second control board may be containedwithin a motor housing and communicatively coupled via a wired and/orwireless connection to the first control board. In operation, the firstcontrol board can wirelessly communicate with a user device, such as asmartphone or tablet computing device, that a user may interface with toprovide the user input. In the example embodiment, the first controlboard processes the user input to generate one or more system-levelcommands for controlling operation of the motor, such as “stop,” “go,”and/or “status” commands. Advantageously, the first control board may bereplaced or swapped out of the control system without replacement of thesecond control board contained within the motor housing.

Additionally, embodiments of the pump system described herein providefurther benefits such as, for example: (a) providing a control systemphysically separated into a first control board and a second controlboard; (b) providing the first control board within a top box, which maybe coupled to an exterior of the pump system, such as an exterior of amotor of the pump system; (c) providing the second control board withinthe motor housing for added security and protection of the secondcontrol board; (d) facilitating, by the first control board, wirelesscommunication with a user device, where the user device may receive userinput commands; (e) facilitating receiving the user input by the firstcontrol board from the user device; (f) wireless communication betweenthe user device and the first control board in any of a variety ofwireless communication protocols, such as BLUETOOTH, WiFi, RF, NFC,narrow band IOT, 5G, and/or any other wireless protocol; and (g)translation of the user input by the first control board to one or moresystem-level control signals for driving or controlling the pump, suchas “go,” “stop,” and/or “status” commands.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a pumpsystem 100. In the example embodiment, pump system 100 includes a userdevice 104, a motor 106, and a pump 108.

Motor 106 is any of a variety of suitable electric motors, such as anelectric variable speed motor. In the example embodiment, motor 106includes a control system 110 for controlling the operation of motor106, such as a speed of motor 106, on and/or off times of motor 106, andthe like. In addition, motor 106 includes a housing 101 defining aninterior region 103 and having an exterior surface 105. Othercomponents, such as a rotor, a stator, a commutator, and the like may beincluded, but are not central to an understanding of the presentdisclosure and are not therefore described in additional detail.

Control system 110 may include a first control board 112 (“first controlportion” or “application board”), and a second control board 114(“second control portion” or “drive board”), each of which are shown anddescribed in additional detail with reference to FIG. 2 below.Generally, first control board 112 and second control board 114 mayinclude any suitable printed circuit board (PCB) or printed circuitboard assembly (PCBA), such as any PCB mounted with various hardwarecomponents, including, for example, processors, integrated circuits,memory devices, resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers, and/orany other such hardware.

In some embodiments, first control board 112 and second control board114 include a combination of hardware and/or software, the latter ofwhich may be stored as computer-executable instructions within one ormore memory devices of control boards 110 and/or 112. Moreover, in someimplementations, first control board 112 may be configured to perform avariety of input-level processing, such as providing a graphical userinterface, receiving user input from the user interface, translatinguser input into system-level commands, such as “go” or activationcommands, “stop” or deactivation commands, and status commands. Hence,first control board 112 may be referred to as an “application board.”Similarly, second control board 114 may be configured to perform avariety of system-level processing, such as receiving system levelcommands from first control board 112, providing control signals to pump108 in response to receiving commands from first control board 112and/or driving pump 108, performing safety and status checks, and thelike. Hence, second control board 112 may be referred to as a “driveboard.” As described herein, first control board 112 may becommunicatively coupled to second control board 114 by a system orcontrol bus 113, and/or any other suitable wired and/or wirelesscommunications channel.

In the example embodiment, user device 104 may include any suitablecomputing device capable of providing control instructions, such aswirelessly or via a wireless communications channel, to control system110. For instance, in at least some implementations, user device 104includes a tablet computing device, a smartphone, or any other suitablepersonal computing device. Similarly, control system 110 may be capableof any of a variety of wireless communications protocols, such asBLUETOOTH communications, WiFi communications, near field communications(NFC), radio frequency (RF) communications, narrow band internet ofthings (TOT), such as a wireless 5G signal (e.g., in range ofapproximately 30 GHz to 100 GHz), and/or any other suitablecommunications protocol.

Pump 108 is mechanically coupled to motor 106 by a drive shaft 116,which rotates an impeller 118 of pump 108 to draw fluid (e.g., water) inthrough a fluid inlet 120. Within pump 108, a variety of filtration andchemical treatment processes may be performed. For example, water drawnin through inlet 120 may be passed through a filter and/or exposed toone or more chemical compounds (e.g., Chlorine). Following filtrationand treatment, the fluid is expelled from pump 108 by way of an outlet122 for recirculation in the original fluid body (e.g., the swimmingpool or spa).

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an example embodiment of motor 106 (asshown in FIG. 1). FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the example embodimentof motor 106 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

Accordingly, as best shown with combined reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3,motor 106 includes first control board 112 and second control board 114,as described herein. In the example embodiment, first control board 112may be enclosed or contained within a top box 202, which may resideoutside motor housing 101, and which may mechanically couple to exteriorsurface 105 of housing 101 to form a portion of motor 106 assembly. Topbox 202 may be sealed, such as by gaskets, fasteners, and the like, toform a liquid tight seal around first control board 112. In addition, inat least some embodiments, top box 202 may include a window 204 that ispermeable or semi-permeable to electromagnetic radiation. Specifically,window 204 may allow a suitable wireless signal to enter within top box202 for reception by first control board 112, as described herein. Assuch, window 204 may be permeable or semi-permeable to any BLUETOOTH,WiFi, NFC, RF, and/or any narrow band IOT signal, such as any wireless5G signal, as well as any 3G and/or 4G signal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of firstcontrol board 112 and second control board 114 (shown in FIG. 1). Asshown, first control board 112 may include a communication interface402, a memory device 404, a controller or processor 406, and/or adisplay device 408, each of which may be communicatively coupled orinterconnected, as desired, by a system bus 403. In various embodiments,communication interface 402 may include any suitable wirelesscommunication interface, such as a transceiver configured for BLUETOOTH,WiFi, NFC, and/or RF communications. Display device 408 may be embodiedin any of a variety of suitable implementations, such as, but notlimited to, as a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a membrane displaydevice, any touchscreen display device, such as a capacitive touchscreendisplay device, and/or any other suitable display device. In someembodiments, display device 408 includes or displays touchscreen options(e.g., touchscreen “buttons”) for controlling motor 106 and/or pump 108.

Second control board 114 includes a processor 410 and a powerelectronics module 412, which may be electrically and/or communicativelycoupled, as desired. In the example implementation, power electronicsmodule 412 includes an AC-DC converter (e.g., a forward converter, orrectifier), a DC-AC converter (e.g., a power inverter), and the like. Inaddition, although not shown, second control board 114 may include acommunication interface that communicates directly (or via a wirelessnetwork) with user device 104. Specifically, although in the exampleimplementation, first control board 112 handles communication with userdevice 104, in at least one embodiment, second control board 114 mayalternatively or additionally communicate with user device 104.

Control system 110 may, as described herein, be disposed, at leastpartially within housing 101 of motor 106. For example, second controlboard 114 may be disposed within interior region 103 of housing 101.Stated another way, in at least some embodiments, second control board114 may be sealed within housing 101 to prevent, or reduce, contactbetween a liquid (e.g., water) outside motor 106 and second controlboard 114. As a result, second control board 114, which may performcertain system-level commands as well as control pump 108, may becontained within housing 101 to protect second control board 114, whichmay, in turn, result in a more damage-resistant, robust construction ofmotor 106.

In the example embodiment, at least a portion of first control board 112may be disposed within top box 202, as described above, and/or coupledon external surface 105 of housing 101, such that top box 202 isaccessible from outside housing 101. In addition, in at least someembodiments, display device 408 of first control board 112 (if it isincluded) may be disposed and/or accessible from external surface 105 ofhousing 101 to enable user interaction with display device 408. Moreparticularly, display device 408 may be accessible by a user outsidehousing 101 to facilitate receiving user input commands, displayingstatus and other media output to the user, and the like. However, in atleast some embodiments, first control board 112 excludes display device408.

Accordingly, it can be seen that first control board 112 and secondcontrol board 114 may, in at least some embodiments, be physicallydistinct components and/or physically partitioned, such that at least aportion of first control board 112 may reside outside housing 101 foraccessibility by a user. Although control boards 112 and 114 may bephysically separated, as described herein, in the example embodiment,first control board 112 is electrically and/or communicatively coupledto second control board 114, such as by way of a system or control bus113. Likewise, in at least one embodiment, first control board 112 maywirelessly communicate with second control board 14, such as using anysuitable wireless communication protocol (e.g., NFC, BLUETOOTH, WiFi,and others, as described herein).

In addition to these features, and as a result of separating firstcontrol board 112 from second control board 114, in some embodiments,first control board 112 can be replaced, or swapped (e.g., if firstcontrol board 112 is damaged or an upgrade or retrofit is desired), witha replacement control board without removal of second control board 114.Specifically, in at least some embodiments, second control board 114 maybe arranged for “plug and play” or similar functionality with firstcontrol board 112, whereby removal of first control board 112 isaccomplished simply by disconnecting first control board 112 from secondcontrol board and reconnecting a replacement control board to secondcontrol board 114.

Moreover, in at least some embodiments, second control board 114 mayalso store instructions for safety and/or control of motor 106. Forexample, in addition to instructions for performing system-levelcommands described above, safety and control instructions may beincluded in firmware stored on second control board 114. As a result, inat least some embodiments, at least some of the instructions stored onsecond control board 114 may be subject to regulation and/orcertification requirements. Accordingly, as described elsewhere herein,at least one advantage of physically separating first control board 112from second control board 114 is that replacement of first control board112 may not require recertification of second control board 114 and/ormotor 106 as a whole. Rather, first control board 112 may be swapped orreplaced, as described, without any recertification or re-inspectionrequirement. In addition, because second control board 114 may, in theexample embodiment, store all safety instructions in firmware,malfunctioning, damage, or loss of first control board 112 may notimpact safe operation of motor 106.

In operation, a user may interact with a graphical user interfaceprovided on user device 104 to control operation of motor 106 and/orpump 108. For example, the user may specify a motor speed, on and offtimes, and the like, via user device 104. Similarly, user device 104 maydisplay any suitable operating information related to motor 106 and/orpump 108, such as pump speed, on and off times, filter life, chemicalanalysis, motor temperature, and the like.

In response to receiving user input, user device 104 may transmit theuser input to control system 110 of motor 106, such as via anyBLUETOOTH, WiFi, NFC, RF, or other wireless protocol (e.g., narrow bandIOT, 5G, etc.) More particularly, a transceiver of user device 104 maywirelessly communicate with communication interface 402 of first controlboard 112 to provide the user input to first control board 112. Controlboard 112 may process the user input, such as by executing instructionson processor 206 stored in memory 204, to provide one or more controlinstructions to second control board 114 for controlling operation ofmotor 106 (e.g., adjusting motor speed, on and off times, etc.)

For example, as described above, processor 406 may convert or translateuser input into system-level commands for execution by second controlboard 114, such as “go” or activation commands, “stop” or deactivationcommands, status commands, and the like. Likewise, processor 410 ofsecond control board 114 may perform and/or facilitate system-levelprocessing, such as receiving commands from first control board 112,providing control signals to pump 108 in response to receiving commandsfrom first control board 112, performing safety and status checks, andthe like. Similarly, first control board 112 may control display device408 to display adjusted settings, various media output, and the like.

Accordingly, motor 106 and pump 108 can, in the example embodiment, becontrolled by a user via user device 104 without interaction by the userwith display device 408 on motor 106 itself. Similarly, in at least someembodiments, no display device 408 is included, such that user device104 is substituted for any display device physically integrated with orcoupled to motor 106.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of firstcontrol board 112 (shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), in which first controlboard 112 is communicatively coupled to a plurality of user devices 502a-c. Accordingly, in this example embodiment, as shown, control system110 may receive user input from any of a variety of user devices 504a-c,such as any user device 504a-c that has been “paired” via BLUETOOTHand/or otherwise authorized to communicate with and control motor 106and/or pump 108. In one example, a plurality of pool technicians may beregistered or authorized on their respective user devices 504a-c tocontrol operation of motor 106 and/or pump 108, which may facilitateoperation of a large pool system maintained by a variety of technicians.Likewise, several family members may utilize the features shown in FIG.5 to control operations of a family swimming pool or spa.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of firstcontrol board 112 (shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), in which first controlboard 112 is communicatively coupled to a plurality of user devices 602a-c via a communication network 604. The example embodiment shown inFIG. 6 is substantially the same as the embodiment depicted withreference to FIG. 5, except, as shown, that user devices 602 a-c may notcommunicate directly with control system 110. Rather, in thisembodiment, user devices 602 a-c may communicate with control system 110(e.g., first control board 112) via network 604, which may include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the internet, avirtual private network (VPN), a cloud computing network, such as a fogor edge network, a narrow band IOT network (e.g., a 5G network), and/orany other suitable intermediate communication network that relayscommunications between user devices 602 a-c and control system 110.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of an example embodiment of userdevice 104, such as a smartphone, which may be communicatively coupledwith control system 110 (shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 6). As shown, userdevice 104 may include a graphical user interface 702, which may displaya variety of information, such as pump 108 and/or motor 106 speed, onand off times for motor 106 and/or pump 108, and/or a variety of otherparameters, as described herein.

Further, as described herein, user device 104 may include a touchscreeninterface, which may receive user input for controlling motor 106 and/or108. In addition, user device 104 may include one or more icons or otherindicia that show a wireless communication status of user device 104.For example, a first icon 704 may indicate a BLUETOOTH signal strengthor status and/or whether user device 104 is connected via BLUETOOTH tocontrol system 110. Similarly, a second icon 706 may provide anindication of an RF signal strength of status and/or whether user device104 is connected via RF (e.g., via a telecommunications provider) tocontrol system 110. In addition, one or more other icons may be providedin similar fashion, such as for indicating WiFi signal strength and/orconnectivity status, an NFC signal strength and/or connectivity status,and/or any other wireless communication protocol signal strength and/orconnectivity status.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a process800 for controlling motor 106 using control system 110 (shown anddescribed in additional detail with reference to FIGS. 1-7).Accordingly, as shown, in the example embodiment, process 800 mayinclude receiving, by first control board 112, a wireless communicationincluding a user input from user device 104 (step 802). For example,communications interface 402 of first control board 112 may wirelesslycommunicate with user device 104 to receive the user input from userdevice 104, which may specify, for instance, a motor 106 and/or pump 108setting. In addition, in response to receiving the user input, processor406 of first control board 112 may generate a control signal, such as a“stop,” “go,” and/or “status” signal (step 804), which may be providedto and received by processor 410 of second control board 114 (step 806).Moreover, in response to receiving the control signal, processor 410 ofsecond control board 114 may control motor 106, such as, for example, toadjust a speed of motor 106, on and/or off times of motor 106, and thelike, depending upon the user input provided to control system 110 bythe user via user device 104 (step 808). As a result, the user mayinterface with user device 104 to provide wireless control of motor 106and/or pump 108, such as from a distance and/or without directlyinterfacing with any display device 408 of motor 106.

Embodiments of the pump system described herein thus include a controlsystem separated into a first control board (e.g., an “applicationboard”) and a second control board (e.g., a “drive board”). In theexample embodiment, the first control board is enclosed in a top box,which may be coupled to an exterior portion of the pump system, such asan exterior of a pump motor. The second control board may be containedwithin a motor housing and communicatively coupled via a wired and/orwireless connection to the first control board. In operation, the firstcontrol board can wirelessly communicate with a user device, such as asmartphone or tablet computing device, which a user may interface withto provide the user input. In the example embodiment, the first controlboard processes the user input to generate one or more system-levelcommands for controlling operation of the motor, such as “stop,” “go,”and/or “status” commands. Advantageously, the first control board may bereplaced or swapped out of the control system without replacement of thesecond control board contained within the motor housing.

The systems and methods described herein may be implemented usingcomputer programming or engineering techniques including computersoftware, firmware, hardware or any combination or subset thereof,wherein the technical effects and specific improvements to thetechnology and technical field may include one or more of: (a) providinga control system physically separated into a first control board and asecond control board; (b) providing the first control board within a topbox, which may be coupled to an exterior of the pump system, such as anexterior of a motor of the pump system; (c) providing the second controlboard within the motor housing for added security and protection of thesecond control board; (d) facilitating, by the first control board,wireless communication with a user device, where the user device mayreceive user input commands; (e) facilitating receiving the user inputby the first control board from the user device; (f) wirelesscommunication between the user device and the first control board in anyof a variety of wireless communication protocols, such as BLUETOOTH,WiFi, RF, NFC, narrow band IOT, 5G, and/or any other wireless protocol;and (g) translation of the user input by the first control board to oneor more system-level control signals for driving or controlling thepump, such as “go,” “stop,” and/or “status” commands.

In the foregoing specification and the claims that follow, a number ofterms are referenced that have the following meanings.

As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and precededwith the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding pluralelements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited.Furthermore, references to “example implementation” or “oneimplementation” of the present disclosure are not intended to beinterpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementationsthat also incorporate the recited features.

“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described eventor circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includesinstances where the event occurs and instances where it does not.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification andclaims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation thatcould permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basicfunction to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a termor terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are notto be limited to the precise value specified. In at least someinstances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision ofan instrument for measuring the value. Here, and throughout thespecification and claims, range limitations may be combined orinterchanged. Such ranges are identified and include all the sub-rangescontained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is generally understood within thecontext as used to state that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y,or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, suchdisjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, implythat certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y,or at least one of Z to each be present. Additionally, conjunctivelanguage such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unlessspecifically stated otherwise, should also be understood to mean X, Y,Z, or any combination thereof, including “X, Y, and/or Z.”

Some embodiments involve the use of one or more electronic processing orcomputing devices. As used herein, the terms “processor” and “computer”and related terms, e.g., “processing device,” “computing device,” and“controller” are not limited to just those integrated circuits referredto in the art as a computer, but broadly refers to a processor, aprocessing device, a controller, a general purpose central processingunit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, amicrocomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a reducedinstruction set computer (RISC) processor, a field programmable gatearray (FPGA), a digital signal processing (DSP) device, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), and other programmable circuits orprocessing devices capable of executing the functions described herein,and these terms are used interchangeably herein. The above embodimentsare examples only, and thus are not intended to limit in any way thedefinition or meaning of the terms processor, processing device, andrelated terms.

In the embodiments described herein, memory may include, but is notlimited to, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as flashmemory, a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM). Asused herein, the term “non-transitory computer-readable media” isintended to be representative of any tangible, computer-readable media,including, without limitation, non-transitory computer storage devices,including, without limitation, volatile and non-volatile media, andremovable and non-removable media such as a firmware, physical andvirtual storage, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and any other digital source such as anetwork or the Internet, as well as yet to be developed digital means,with the sole exception being a transitory, propagating signal.Alternatively, a floppy disk, a compact disc—read only memory (CD-ROM),a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or anyother computer-based device implemented in any method or technology forshort-term and long-term storage of information, such as,computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules andsub-modules, or other data may also be used. Therefore, the methodsdescribed herein may be encoded as executable instructions, e.g.,“software” and “firmware,” embodied in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. Further, as used herein, the terms “software”and “firmware” are interchangeable, and include any computer programstored in memory for execution by personal computers, workstations,clients and servers. Such instructions, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to perform at least a portion of the methodsdescribed herein.

Also, in the embodiments described herein, additional input channels maybe, but are not limited to, computer peripherals associated with anoperator interface such as a mouse and a keyboard. Alternatively, othercomputer peripherals may also be used that may include, for example, butnot be limited to, a scanner. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment,additional output channels may include, but not be limited to, anoperator interface monitor.

The systems and methods described herein are not limited to the specificembodiments described herein, but rather, components of the systemsand/or steps of the methods may be utilized independently and separatelyfrom other components and/or steps described herein.

Although specific features of various embodiments of the disclosure maybe shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenienceonly. In accordance with the principles of the disclosure, any featureof a drawing may be referenced and/or claimed in combination with anyfeature of any other drawing.

This written description uses examples to provide details on thedisclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any personskilled in the art to practice the disclosure, including making andusing any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods.The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and mayinclude other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Suchother examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if theyhave structural elements that do not differ from the literal language ofthe claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements withinsubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control system for controlling a pump motor,said control system comprising a wireless communication interface and atleast one processor coupled in communication with said wirelesscommunication interface, said control system at least partially disposedwithin a housing of the pump motor, said at least one processorconfigured to: control said wireless communication interface to receivea user input from a user device; generate a control signal in responseto receiving the user input; and control the pump motor in response tothe control signal.
 2. The control system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a first portion disposed outside the housing of the pumpmotor, the first portion comprising said wireless communicationinterface and a first processor coupled in communication with saidwireless communication interface, said first processor configured to:control said wireless communication interface to receive the user inputfrom the user device; and generate the control signal in response toreceiving the user input; and a second portion disposed inside thehousing of the pump motor and comprising a second processor coupled incommunication with said first processor, said second processorconfigured to: receive the control signal from said first processor; andcontrol the pump motor in response to receiving the control signal. 3.The control system of claim 2, wherein said first processor is furtherconfigured to translate the user input received from the user device toat least one of i) an activation control signal, ii) a deactivationcontrol signal, or iii) a status control signal.
 4. The control systemof claim 3, wherein said first processor is further configured totransmit the at least one of the i) the activation control signal, ii)the deactivation control signal, or iii) the status control signal tosaid processor of said second portion.
 5. The control system of claim 2,wherein said second processor is disposed proximal a heat sink of thepump motor.
 6. The control system of claim 2, wherein said secondportion further comprises a memory device that storescomputer-executable instructions for controlling one or more safeoperating parameters of the pump motor, and wherein said second portionis protected within the housing of the pump motor from contact with aliquid.
 7. The control system of claim 2, wherein said first portion isconfigured to be removed from said control system without removal ofsaid second portion, and wherein said second portion is configured to becommunicatively coupled following removal of said first portion with areplacement portion.
 8. The control system of claim 1, wherein saidwireless communication interface is at least one of: i) a BLUETOOTHcommunication device, or ii) a near field communication (NFC) device. 9.The control system of claim 1, wherein said wireless communicationinterface is a radio frequency (RF) communication device.
 10. Thecontrol system of claim 1, wherein said processor of said at least oneprocessor is further configured to at least control a display device ofthe pump motor to display at least one operating parameter of the pumpmotor.
 11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user inputreceived by said at least one processor comprises a change to at leastone operating parameter of the pump motor.
 12. A pump motor comprising:a housing; and a control system for controlling said pump motor, saidcontrol system comprising a wireless communication interface and atleast one processor coupled in communication with said wirelesscommunication interface, said control system at least partially disposedwithin said housing, said at least one processor configured to: controlsaid wireless communication interface to receive a user input from auser device; generate a control signal in response to receiving the userinput; and control the pump motor in response to the control signal. 13.The pump motor of claim 12, wherein said control system furthercomprises: a first control board disposed outside said housing, thefirst control board comprising said wireless communication interface anda first processor coupled in communication with said wirelesscommunication interface, said first processor configured to: controlsaid wireless communication interface to receive the user input from theuser device; and generate the control signal in response to receivingthe user input; and a second control board disposed inside said housingand comprising a second processor coupled in communication with saidfirst processor, said second processor configured to: receive thecontrol signal from said first processor; and control said pump motor inresponse to receiving the control signal.
 14. The pump motor of claim13, wherein said first processor is further configured to translate theuser input received from the user input device to at least one of i) anactivation control signal, ii) a deactivation control signal, or iii) astatus control signal.
 15. The pump motor of claim 14, wherein saidfirst processor is further configured to transmit the at least one ofthe i) the activation control signal, ii) the deactivation controlsignal, or iii) the status control signal to said processor of saidsecond control board.
 16. The pump motor of claim 13, wherein saidsecond processor is disposed proximal a heat sink of said pump motor.17. The pump motor of claim 12, wherein said wireless communicationinterface is at least one of: i) a BLUETOOTH communication device, orii) a near field communication (NFC) device.
 18. The pump motor of claim12, wherein said wireless communication interface is a radio frequency(RF) communication device.
 19. The pump motor of claim 12, wherein saidat least one processor is further configured to control a display deviceof said pump motor to display at least one operating parameter of saidpump motor.
 20. A method for controlling a pump motor, said methodcomprising: receiving, by a control system at least partially disposedwithin a housing of the pump motor, a wireless communication from a userdevice, wherein the wireless communication includes a user input;generating, by the control system, a control signal in response toreceiving the user input; and controlling, by the control system, thepump motor in response to the control signal.